REPAIRED SOMETHING VERY FRAGILE AND OUT OF MY COMFORT ZONE

[Onomea]

I inherited, many years ago, a cuckoo clock from my uncle. I had it on the wall in my apartment for maybe one afternoon. Thing drove me nuts!

 

[Geronimo Jim]

Congratulations. Sure wish I had your mechanical abilities.
Where did you move to? Your fans want to know!

 

[mtgianni]

To me, nothing says home like a large clock that has a presence. Nice work.

 

[MRB1]

I love restoring old things, especially if they're "broken". Nothing wrong tackling an unfamiliar item - fun part is the learning experience. I'm in the process of restoring a 51 year old Hi-Lift tractor jack (widow maker), and turning something into something as good or better than new is rewarding. Congrats on the HM clock - I'd never muster up enough courage to even consider it!.

 

[DWalt]

I had a virtually identical experience. By default I inherited my deceased B-I-L's tall case clock, a Howard Miller with a German Keininger movement. It was similarly non-running, and did not sell in the estate sale we held. I do not know its age accurately, but I believe from the early 1980s. It is virtually impossible to date the Howard Miller clocks.

Fortunately, I have considerable experience in working on clock and watch movements, so I removed the movement, which looked to be fairly clean. I oiled all of the pivots, and it ran perfectly, and still does. The only part I needed to fix was the pendulum suspension which was broken. It was fairly easy to fabricate a replacement part. My wife does not like to hear it chime and strike, so I run it overnight about once a week just to keep the lubricant flowing. I once tried to sell it on Craigslist, no interest whatsoever, so it looks like it will die with us. There really is not much of a market for them. If anyone in in the San Antonio area is interested, contact me. My wife would love to sell it.

 

[swsig]

Impressive! I'm guessing you also own a Ruger Mark I.

 

[Engineer1911]

You are MMMUUUUUCH, MMUUUUUUUUCH, MUCH braver than me ! ! ! !

 

[Mercury]

Chief38, we are about 7 months behind you and my late mother's Howard Miller clock is still packed up and in the storage pod.
I'm hoping that it made the 1200 mile trip in one piece and that it still functions correctly when I set it back up.
I give you credit for the repair. Having mechanical aptitude and some nerve are great traits to possess.

Good luck with it.

 

[chief38]

Are those hockey pucks you used the "precision" model?

I use hockey pucks all the time! Here is one I made into a gun smithing bench block. Just pretty much copied the Starrett steel version next to it. Steel does not play well with purdy guns.....

 

[Rpg]

You are a much braver man than I.

I wouldn’t dream of getting it back together. I’d. end up at the clock repair shop with a paper bag full of little parts.

 

[chief38]

Congratulations. Sure wish I had your mechanical abilities.
Where did you move to? Your fans want to know!

SW Fla. near Naples.

I've got a lot of flaws ( just ask my wife - lol ) but mechanical ability is one of the special gifts I have been blessed with. Never needed a plumber, electrician, carpenter, auto mechanic or gunsmith. Just wish I had the ability to pick the correct lottery numbers!

That said, I was a bit nervous working on something I've never really looked at or even thought about before - however that fact also made me very aware and carful about the parts and their placement. Only one backwards piece and I figured that one out relatively quickly.

 

[chief38]

Impressive! I'm guessing you also own a Ruger Mark I.

Only one Ruger owned - a revolver (speed 6). Never been thrilled with it but it was gifted to me and I don't have the heart to sell it (yet).

The new marks are actually and finally Ruger's major improvement of the decade!! Now anyone can take them apart easily. WHY it took them so long to do so is beyond me. I hope the engineer who came up with the new Mark got a nice bonus.

 

[chief38]

You are a much braver man than I.

I wouldn’t dream of getting it back together. I’d. end up at the clock repair shop with a paper bag full of little parts.

The major problem is that clock repair shops are (for the most part) a thing of the past. If you actually do find one, you are at their mercy, their time frame and have to gamble on their skill, knowledge and craftsmanship.

 

[chief38]

Picture of the mechanism back in place working as designed. I did not realize that for the past 9 months I actually missed the chiming so much! A soothing homie sound! You can see at least one of the two cables that were severely twisted up from the move.

Sorry for the 90º rotated pic! One day I will figure out why they rotate unintentionally on this forum and how to correct them. The picture was not rotated this way in my album on my computer. Computers are not one of the things I excel at. No patience, no real desire.

I have much more respect for the guys that invented and designed these clock movements now. Never before did I realize they were so complicated with so many moving parts.

 

[chief38]

You might think about taking phone photos on a future project like this. That way you have a record of what was originally where, when you are doing reassembly. That has helped me many times on mechanical and electrical projects.

I agree - and I have ALWAYS made the same mistake! I am so exited and anxious to get into something and get it done, I never remember to take any descent photos. I've done many gun repairs that I never bothered to film or video and REALLY wish I had! The one's that really stick out and piss me off are the few Revolver Studs I've repaired with no refinishing of the gun's frame. They look pretty much Factory and no one would ever know if I did not tell them. Of course they took me quite a number of hours and I could never make any money as a Pro. GS because I work methodical and very slow. Eventually I get the results I want and NEVER give up! It's in my DNA. I have had many a good laugh when told by S&W or a Pro that it can't be done. That's the best way to get me to do something - tell me it can't be done - lol!